“I interviewed at Gilda’s Toronto in 2016, and the group workshops took off.”

"I started supporting Gilda’s Toronto and my mother and her friends Linda  Rechtsman, Helen Burstyn and Lorna Rosenstein (the founders of Gilda’s Toronto). I feel like I’ve been involved in some capacity from the beginning. Of course, I’m going to be there to support them.”

Throughout the weekend, children, youth and families made beautiful connections with each other. Families held space for one another, sharing personal thoughts, feelings, grief, memories, wishes, and hopes tied to their cancer experiences.

As the recipient of the Lorna Rosenstein Youth Volunteer Leadership Award, I was matched with a mentor who helped me navigate my grief, Gilda’s Toronto’s own Katie Jacobs, Director of Clinical Programs. We both followed the same higher education path and even attended the same universities! In our time together, Katie talked about her 15 years as a social worker, sharing stories of her challenges and successes. She helped me to see that I can become, as she so aptly put it, a beacon of hope in the lives of others.

Crystal Hawk, MEd, RT, is a Gestalt psychotherapist/educator and Therapeutic Touch and Emotional Freedom Techniques practitioner. She has taught Therapeutic Touch for over 40 years, studying with its developers, the late Dolores Krieger and the late Dora Kunz. She co-founded the Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario. Crystal was awarded an Honorary Life Membership in The Nurse Healers-Professional Associates International (USA) and is a Qualified Teacher of the American Therapeutic Touch organization. She has also received their first International Award for bringing Therapeutic Touch to Canada.

Now I can see how one day on the golf course can build community and bring crucial mental health support to those living with cancer and those who care for them. Now I can ensure these services are available to families like mine when they need them the most.  

The best part is connecting families with other families going through a similar experience in their cancer journey. It lets them know they’re not alone and can face the experience together as a community.

I struggled and needed to talk about what I was going through. The give and take in the group support sessions were remarkable. I got a lot more out of it than I ever anticipated from Gilda's Toronto.

I was in a “warrior” state but knew I needed more than the medical treatment and found it at Gilda’s Toronto.

We found out about Gilda’s Toronto, and they had a lot of information for me as her primary caregiver and for younger individuals, like our son. I signed up for one of their caregiver support groups. I found the psychosocial care I needed at Gilda’s Toronto, which was a relief. It was a supportive environment where we all shared similar experiences.